Category Archives: NCAA Basketball

Cardinals Emerge Victorious on March Madness Betting Lines, Head to the Final Four

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The Louisville Cardinals won the Big East Tournament this season and they’ve continued on that roll all the way to New Orleans as they’ll take on top-seeded Kentucky in a Final Four betting matchup at the Superdome on Saturday night.

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The Cardinals topped Cincinnati 50-44 in the championship game of the Big East Tournament on March 10 and they haven’t looked back since then, rattling off four straight wins at the Big Dance to claim the West Region.

No. 4 Louisville began its NCAA Tournament with a 69-62 win over No. 13 Davidson, and then topped No. 5 New Mexico 59-56 before upsetting No. 1 Michigan State with a 57-44 victory in the Sweet 16. The Cards then beat No. 7 Florida 72-68 in the Elite Eight.

Russ Smith had 19 points for Louisville against Florida and Chane Behanan added 17 points in that victory. Peyton Siva was held to just nine points but had eight assists.

Louisville has managed to cover the posted spread in all four of their NCAA Tournament games to date, with the OVER/UNDER going 1-3 in their contests; the Florida win was the only OVER result.

As the lowest seed remaining in the NCAA Tournament the Cardinals are the +800 underdog at Bovada to win the championship; Kentucky is favored at -140, with Ohio State at +290 and Kansas at +500.

Back on March 12 Louisville was at 35/1 odds on Bovada’s NCAA Tournament futures.

On the college basketball props market Siva is currently the highest Louisville player at 18/1 to win the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Gorgui Dieng is at 20/1 on that list, with Kyle Kuric at 25/1 and Behanan at 35/1.

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Thursday NIT Championship Game Odds: Stanford vs. Minnesota

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The best consolation prize for not making the NCAA Tournament would be winning the NIT title, and that’s on the line Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York when No. 3 seed Stanford faces No. 6 Minnesota, with the Cardinal as slight favorites on WagerWeb.com.

Stanford (25-11) has had only one close call in this tournament, an overtime win over Illinois State last week. The Cardinal punched their finals ticket with a 74-64 victory over Massachusetts on Tuesday. Anthony Brown scored a season-high 18 points and Josh Owens had 15 points and 12 rebounds to led Stanford. The Minutemen took their first lead since early in the game with about 8 minutes left, but Brown hit a 3-pointer to push the Cardinal back on top, then later scored seven points during an 11-3 run that put Stanford in control.

The Cardinal had 54 rebounds, matching its highest season output. Meanwhile, the 54 rebounds established a school postseason record, surpassing the 53 against Purdue on March 20, 1998 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. And Stanford is now 11-1 this year when Brown scores in double figures.

Minnesota (23-14) enters off a 68-67 overtime win over another Pac-12 team, Washington (the Pac-12 regular season champ), on Tuesday night. Gophers freshman Andre Hollins scored five of Minnesota’s seven points in the extra period. With the shot clock winding down and the Gophers clinging to a one-point lead in the final minute, he banked in an off-balance shot to put Minnesota up 68-65. Hollins led the team with 20 points.

The Gophers improved to 3-3 in overtime games this season. They have made this run without senior center Ralph Sampson III, who has missed the last six with a sprained right knee.

Minnesota is looking for its third NIT crown after winning in 1993 and 1998. Stanford won the 1991 title.


Reaching the NIT final isn’t necessarily a springboard to a better following season. Of the 24 finalists the past two years, only five went on to win one or more games in the NCAA tournament the next year. Two (Baylor in 2010, North Carolina in 2011, coming off NIT finals appearances the years before) went to the Elite Eight and one (West Virginia in 2008) made the Sweet 16. Only half the 24 teams made the NCAA field the following year. Last year, Wichita State beat Alabama in the NIT final and both were in this year’s NCAA Tournament (but lost their first games).

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NIT TOURNAMENT – CHAMPIONSHIP: Stanford vs Minnesota Betting

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PREVIEW: The spotlight figures to be on two freshman point guards when sixth-seeded Minnesota faces third-seeded Stanford in the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden. Stanford’s Chasson Randle leads his team in scoring while shooting 44 percent from the field, and Andre Hollins scored a team-high 20 points in the Gophers’ 68-67 overtime victory over Washington in the semifinals. Minnesota is looking for its third NIT crown after winning in 1993 and 1998, although the latter was vacated due to an ineligible player. Stanford, which won the 1991 NIT title, improved to 11-4 in six NIT appearances with its 74-64 victory over Massachusetts on Tuesday.

Stanford vs Minnesota Betting

When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 29, 2012
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Opening Line is : Minnesota PK  Click here to Bet at Bovada

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (23-14): The Gophers were 6-12 in the Big Ten and lost seven of their final nine games before winning three straight road games to reach the NIT semifinals. Against Washington, Rodney Williams had 18 points and nine rebounds despite playing much of the second half in foul trouble. “It seems like when he gets off to a good start we play well,” said coach Tubby Smith. Williams needs 16 points to break Voshon Lenard’s school record for most points in a postseason tournament. Lenard had 99 points in the 1993 NIT. Hollins, who was once recruited by Stanford, is averaging 17.8 points in the NIT.

STANFORD CARDINAL (25-11): Josh Owens had 15 points and tied a career high with 12 rebounds against Massachusetts, and he’ll need another strong effort against the Gophers. Owens will likely be asked to neutralize Williams, who was called one of the top five athletes in college basketball by Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. Guard Anthony Brown scored a season-high 18 points against the Minutemen, including a key 3-pointer late in the game. The backcourt trio of Randle, Brown and Aaron Bright scored 43 of the team’s 74 points in the win. The title game could be a defensive battle, with Stanford allowing an average of 63.5 points and Minnesota holding teams to an average of 64.5.

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1. Minnesota center Ralph Sampson III has missed the last six games with a sprained right knee, and his status is doubtful for the NIT final.

2. Stanford is just the fourth team to play at New York’s Madison Square Garden in both the Preseason and Postseason NIT during the same season.

3. The teams share two common opponents, Southern California and Washington. Stanford was 2-0 against the Trojans, and the Gophers won 55-40. The Cardinal lost 76-63 at Washington, while Minnesota beat the Huskies on Tuesday.

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NCAA CBI Championship Online Betting: Washington State Cougars vs Pittsburgh Panthers

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Washington St. at Pittsburgh Betting

When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Where: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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THE STORY: After winning on its home court in the opening game of the College Basketball Invitational’s best-of-3 championship series, Washington State looks to clinch the title in Pittsburgh. The Cougars opened the series with a 67-66 victory after Pittsburgh’s Lamar Patterson missed a desperation shot at the buzzer. Washington State played without top scorer and rebounder Brock Motum, who is questionable for the series after spraining his ankle early in last Wednesday’s game at Oregon State. Pittsburgh will need a better defensive effort after the Cougars shot 51 percent in the first game, including 60 percent (9 of 15) from beyond the arc. If a third game is necessary, it will be played in Pittsburgh on Friday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, HDNet

Washington State Cougars (19-16): Motum averages 18 points to lead the Pac-12, but was sitting on the bench in a suit Monday and appears unlikely to play against Pittsburgh. With Motum out, forward Abe Lodwick has stepped up to average 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his last two games. He was 4 of 5 from 3-point range in Game 1 and moved into first on the school’s single-season list for 3-point field goal percentage at 49.5 (47 of 95). The Cougars have shot 56.7 percent (17 of 30) from beyond the arc in their last two games. Reggie Moore has scored in double figures in four straight games, and he averages 5.3 assists to lead the Pac-12.

Pittsburgh Panthers (20-17): The Panthers will be eager to return home, where they’re 91-3 all-time against non-conference opponents in the Petersen Events Center. However, the team lost to Long Beach State and Wagner at home earlier this season. Guard Tray Woodall scored a team-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, against the Cougars in Game 1, but Patterson had his lowest output in eight games with seven points. After shooting a combined 1 of 16 in the semifinals against Butler, seniors Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson responded with a total of 18 points Monday. Pittsburgh, which ranks among the nation’s top 15 in rebounding margin, outrebounded the Cougars 28-26 in Game 1.

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1. The teams flew to Pittsburgh on the same charter flight Tuesday morning. “We’ll get to know each other really well,” Cougars coach Ken Bone said.

2. The Cougars are attempting to become the third Pac-12 team after Oregon State (2009) and Oregon (2011) to win the five-year-old CBI.

3. Washington State tied for eighth in the Pac-12 while the Panthers tied for 13th in the Big East.

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Final Four Betting Lines: Louisville Tries To Stop Kentucky Juggernaut

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When I’m putting my bracket together next year, I’m just putting whomever wins the Big East Tournament right through to the Final Four. Louisville has strung together an incredibly impressive run through their last eight games in the Big East and March Madness tournaments, going 8-0 SU and ATS which means they’ve been a gold rush for NCAA Basketball bettors who backed them during this run.

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Standing in their way, however, is the best team in the country by a long shot. Kentucky took their conference final loss to heart and we can all thank Vanderbilt for waking a sleeping giant. Not only have the Wildcats been toppling their opponents, they’ve been decimating them. They’re winning by +13.75 points per game in the tournament thus far.

That’s made Kentucky a bit of a lean play in March Madness. After finishing their season and championship week with a 5-1 SU and 2-4 ATS record, they’ve gone undefeated in the tournament and also earned a 3-1 ATS record. That lone spread loss was the -26.5 line they had against Western Kentucky in the opening game, and they won that match by a score of 81-66. Hard to fault them.

#4 Louisville Cardinal (30-9) vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats (36-2)
Saturday, March 31st — 6:05pm EST
March Madness Betting Line: Kentucky -8.5 (137.5)

To keep matters in to perspective, it’s not like Louisville is a pushover. They went 22-13-1 ATS this entire season, and also faced Kentucky on New Year’s Eve losing 69-62 in Kentucky with a +10.0 handicap. That should offer a glimmer of hope. What Louisville excels at is keeping tough games close. They shut down Michigan State 57-44 and also outpaced the Gators 72-68 to reach the Final Four.

Louisville has to be at their absolute best to keep up with Kentucky, which is playing with a sense of purpose that no other team left can match. Kentucky’s transition offense is a blinding thing of beauty, and Louisville simply doesn’t have the legs to keep up with Kentucky at full pace for a full game. Indiana tried that tactic, and ran out of steam.

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Let’s consider that Baylor and Indiana, who Kentucky throttled on route to this game, threw the kitchen sink at Kentucky and both lost by 12 points each. Louisville has had seemingly much stiffer competition, but Florida and MSU were both overachieving to a large extent in the tournament and throughout the year.

Also keep in mind that Kentucky has six guys who are good enough to be first round picks in the NBA Draft, with their two best players (Kidd-Gilchrist and Davis) probably going first and second overall. Louisville has zero players with that pedigree. When that kind of talent finally gels together under a guy like Coach Calipari, it’s almost insane to go the other way. We’ve seen giant killers before in the Final Four, but with a week to prepare for a fairly limited Cardinal team, Kentucky has every reason to incinerate the scoreboard and leave Louisville in their dust.

Furious Final Four Free Pick – Kentucky -8.5 (UNDER). CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

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Louisville Kentucky Betting: Louisville And Kentucky Renew Blood Feud In Final Four

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The Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats regularly meet during the regular season, but they haven’t met in the NCAA tournament since 1984. They’ll clash in this year’s Final Four.

2012 NCAA Final Four – Game 1 Preview

National Semifinal: Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats – Saturday, March 31
Sports betting line: No line

Why Louisville Will Win

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When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you must take into account the pressures and dynamics associated with fierce rivalries. One of the things that makes college basketball in general (and the NCAA tournament in particular) so difficult to win is that the motivation levels differ so markedly from game to game. Teams that are lacking in confidence in one game can then be transformed the next game if they’re lucky enough to survive. Teams can and do approach certain games in a state of fear and paralysis, only to live another day and exhibit the very fearlessness that was so absent the night before. This very much describes the journey the Louisville Cardinals have taken in this year’s NCAA tournament, at least at times.

Louisville barely skated by New Mexico in the round of 32, playing a very shaky brand of basketball but doing just enough to hang on in the end. The Cardinals, having emerged from the first weekend of the tournament intact, regathered their strength and their energies and put together a convincing performance in the Sweet 16 round against Michigan State, smacking around the top-seeded Spartans by 13 points, 57-44. Louisville was far more comfortable playing as an underdog four seed against a number one seed than it was as a favored fourth seed against fifth-seeded New Mexico. In the West Regional final against seventh-seeded Florida, Louisville reverted to the edgy, unsettled team it was against New Mexico.

The Cardinals were blitzed in the first 30 minutes and trailed by 11 points midway through the second half. However, they rallied and managed to dig out a 72-68 win when Florida’s three-point shots stopped falling. Now, Louisville gets a chance to take on its archrival, Kentucky. The Cardinals won’t have pressure in this game. They know they’re playing with house money. They have absolutely nothing to lose and should exhibit supreme confidence on the court in the Louisiana Superdome. One great performance, fueled by all this confidence, is very attainable for Louisville. The path to victory very much exists.

Why Kentucky Will Win

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The college basketball betting experts who follow the sport on a regular basis do not need to offer a lengthy dissertation on why Kentucky will win. The Wildcats have a starting five comprised of NBA-level players – some of them will declare for the draft after this season, while a few will probably stick around for one more season and then turn pro. Anthony Davis is the best player in the sport, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the hardest-working player in all of college basketball. Louisville will play hard, but it will not be able to match the skill level Kentucky can put on the court.

Who Will Win

This is not going to be a blowout, but in the end, Kentucky’s superior talent is simply too much to ignore. Louisville coach Rick Pitino will devise a good game plan, but Kentucky’s dynamic starting five plus key reserve Darius Miller will outlast the Cardinals in a good, tough game.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Kentucky CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

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Ohio State Kansas Betting: Ohio State Aims For Final Four Revenge Against Kansas

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The Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats regularly play during the regular season. Ohio State and  don’t, but they did play in December of 2011, setting up their rematch.

2012 NCAA Final Four – Game 2 Preview

National Semifinal: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Kansas Jayhawks – Saturday, March 31
Sports betting line: No line

Why Ohio State Will Win

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When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you must realize that two simple facts are working in favor of the Buckeyes. First of all, they’ll have at least a little bit of revenge on their minds. They lost to Kansas on Dec. 10 by a score of 78-67. That game is something that both teams will be thinking about this week leading up to their night fight in New Orleans (it’s the second national semifinal at roughly 8:50 p.m. Eastern time, following Louisville-Kentucky), but it will be especially paramount in the minds of the Buckeye players, who were tossed around and overwhelmed at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

Ohio State will want to make a better showing this time around, and since the game will be played on a neutral floor and not on KU’s home court, the odds are certainly better for the Buckeyes. The second key fact is that OSU big man Jared Sullinger did not play against Kansas. He was injured, making it that much easier for Kansas to establish a pronounced advantage at both ends of the floor. Kansas will have a hard time handling Sullinger in the low post, not just because Sullinger is a prime-time player, but because the Jayhawks will find it hard to adjust to the experience of playing Ohio State with all of its weapons intact.

Kansas has already game-planned and schemed for Ohio State, beating the Buckeyes once this season, but that time came with Sullinger on the bench. Kansas can say all it wants about prepping for Sullinger, and yes, the Jayhawks have an excellent coach in Bell Self who will give them a good plan, but it will still be hard for KU to actually put that plan into operation. Ohio State should have more leverage, more motivation, and more confidence in this contest. Those claims point to a Buckeye victory.

Why Kansas Will Win

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The college basketball betting experts who follow the sport will tell you that Ohio State probably has an advantage here, but they will also tell you that Kansas has surpassed all odds in getting to this point. The Jayhawks are not as deep or as talented as they’ve been in past years. They underachieved in the past two NCAA tournaments but have overachieved this time around. Most specifically, big man Jeff Withey has surprised everyone in the sport, emerging as a force near the rim as a shot-blocker and rebounder. Withey is the X-factor who can stop Sullinger and shift the calculus of this game in the Jayhawks’ favor.

Who Will Win

This is not a lock, but it’s not a toss-up, either. Ohio State’s quest for revenge, plus the addition of Sullinger to this contest, will give the Buckeyes two hard-to-deny advantages. Kansas could limit Ohio State in the paint, but Buckeye guard Aaron Craft is likely to shut down KU point guard Tyshawn Taylor. OSU has better matchups at all five positions on the floor. Take the Buckeyes.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Ohio State CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

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Bet on 2012 Final Four: Buckeyes and Jayhawks In Battle of Second Seeds

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In a battle of powerhouses, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Kansas Jayhawks wage war for the second time this year for a chance to play for the national championship. The first time they met, Ohio State was spanked 78-67 with one glaring omission. This time around, Jared Sullinger will be on the court for the Buckeyes.

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Sullinger has been one of my favorite players to watch over the last two years because of his incredible post game. You rarely see someone that refined in the college level and the results are apparent. Sullinger’s averaged 18.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game throughout March Madness and is looking to shut down Kansas’s inside game with his own patented skill set.

While Sullinger has been the focus for much of my Ohio State coverage this year, he’s certainly not alone. William Buford and Deshaun Thomas have been playing lights out and make Ohio State an incredibly balanced team that’s worth banking on for NCAA Basketball bettors. At least in this game.

#2 Ohio State Buckeyes (31-7) vs. #2 Kansas Jayhawks (31-6)
Saturday, March 31st — 8:45pm EST
Final Four Betting Line: Ohio State -2.5 (136.5) CLICK HERE to bet on 2012

Because of their high clout in the college basketball world, neither Kansas nor Ohio State have been great bets all season. The Buckeyes were able to build a 20-13 ATS record this year because of Sullinger’s absence for some games, and Kansas went a pedestrian 18-17-1 ATS this year.

The Jayhawks are also 9-1 SU and just 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games and Ohio State is only slightly better at 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. What I will say is that at least Ohio State got to the Big Ten Championship, where they lost to Michigan State 68-64. Kansas was offered an early exit from their own conference tournament by Baylor in their only loss over the past ten games. Unfortunately, they were -6.5 favorites in that game.

What leans in Kansas’ favor is the rise of Jeff Withey, a seven-foot center who’s notched 20 blocks during March Madness. That’s insane, especially since we all questioned his motor and ceiling during the season. His defense and rebounding have made power-forward Thomas Robinson an absolute wrecking ball in the paint. Robinson has three double-doubles during March Madness and is averaging 15.8 points per game.

Like Ohio State, Kansas isn’t a one-fiddle team and like Sullinger, Robinson isn’t alone. Tyshawn Taylor, though erratic, is an explosive presence on the court and had a breakout game of 22-6-5 against UNC to lead his team to a 80-67 victory.
Sorry, but I basically took a page there to tell you that both teams are built around premier level power-forwards in the post and have great supporting casts. As the oddsmakers have indicated, this game is as much of a toss-up as you’d expect which makes it a smart money play. For all the glory that Kansas has earned over the years, they are simply not consistent enough to warrant a wager. Even in tournament play they are just 2-2 ATS so far. They were lucky that UNC fell apart at the seams without Kendall Marshall because that game was a lot closer than the 80-67 final score indicates.

Ohio State isn’t a perfect team by any stretch of the imagination, but they’ve weathered some incredibly good teams in the tournament, including Syracuse, a punchy Cincinnati squad and the always pesky Gonzaga Bulldogs. They’ve also gone 3-1 ATS in the tournament and barely lost to the spread against Gonzaga with a 73-66 win against a -8.0 point handicap.

If you’re a Kansas pusher you’re not going to be held at fault for continuing to sit behind the Wildcats, but they’re too streaky for my liking and they have been wildly underperforming throughout the year. Everything came together against UNC and that hardly happens with Kansas in big games.

Sullinger will be a massive help in this game that the Buckeyes didn’t have last time they met Kansas, and while he’ll have trouble against Robinson and Whitey, he’ll do enough to free up his teammates to do enough damage to edge out a win against the Jayhawks and the line.

Furious Final Four Free Pick – Ohio State -2.5 (OVER) CLICK HERE for 500 Handicappers Package FOR 5$.

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Final Four Gambling: NCAAB Championship Futures – Kansas Best bet

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The Final Four is finally here and the online sportsbook is offering Basketball Futures on which team will cut down the nets next Monday night.  As expected, Kentucky is a heavy favorite, below even money, to bring the NCAA Men’s Tournament Championship trophy back to Lexington.

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Kentucky is a solid -175 fave to win while Ohio State, who beat 1 Syracuse this past Sunday in order to advance to the Final Four, is going off at +275 odds to win the title.  Louisville is the biggest underdog out of the four, going off at +900, while the kids from Kansas are offering overlaid odds of +400.  Although Kentucky definitely deserves its favorite status, basketball odds handicappers had better take a long look at Kansas.  The +400 odds are mighty tempting and they showed in their victory over North Carolina that they’re a solid bunch.

See below for future betting analysis on all of the teams participating in the Final Four!

NCAA Championship Futures

Kentucky Wildcats

Future Odds:  -175

Analysis:  The Kentucky Wildcats should be the favorites to win the Final Four, but it’s awfully hard to accept the less than even money odds.  The Wildcats were brilliant versus Baylor in the Elite Eight, but the team showed some weaknesses against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Sweet 16.

Kentucky’s starting five is so good that any one of four or five players could have a fantastic game.  They’re also fairly deep and Coach Cal (John Calipari) has the ability to interchange players and keep his stars, mainly Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, out of foul trouble by limiting their minutes.

There are no issues with the offense.  Kentucky average 80 points per game.  As a team, they shoot 49% from the field.  The Wildcats shot 55.6% versus Western Kentucky, 55.4% versus Iowa State, 48.4% versus Indiana and 53.3% versus Baylor.  Kentucky’s defense can be extraordinary at times but just okay at other times.  The Wildcats allowed Indiana to shoot 52% from the floor against them.  Baylor shot only 39% against Kentucky’s D, but the Bears did outscore the Wildcats 48 to 40 in the second half.

The key for Kentucky will be how they play versus Louisville’s and then versus either Kansas or Ohio State’s awesome defenses.  Louisville is one of the best defensive teams in college basketball.  Kansas and Ohio State are both excellent defensive teams as well.  Kentucky did show during the regular season that it can have trouble against a very, very good defensive team.  Florida held the Wildcats to 45% from the field in early March.  Vanderbilt held Kentucky to 39% from the field in the SEC Tournament. At -175, I can’t talk myself into believing that Kentucky will respond well to two brilliant defenses in a row.

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Future Odds:  +275

Analysis:  Ohio State’s fortunes in the 2012 Final Four rests on a player not named Jared Sullinger.  Aaron Craft, the Buckeye’s point guard, is the man that has brought Ohio State to within two games of winning the National Championship.  It won’t show up on the stat line, but Craft’s ability to control the tempo and to lead his fellow players on the court is the single reason that Ohio State took apart Gonzaga and Cincinnati before beating Syracuse in the Elite Eight.

Don’t get me wrong, when Sullinger, arguably the best overall player in college basketball this season, gets it going, it’s much easier for the Buckeyes to win a basketball game.  Sullinger is averaging 9 boards and 17.9 points this season.  He’s an exceptionally gifted player, but Sullinger isn’t good enough to convince me that Ohio State is worth backing at low betting odds.

Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas both played very well versus Syracuse.  Sullinger crashed the boards for 7 rebounds.  Thomas added 9, but the Orange played that game without the services of their center, Fab Melo.  The 7 foot 244 lb Melo ate up a lot of space and allowed guys like C.J. Fair and Kris Joseph to grab boards.  Without Melo in the middle, Syracuse became a terrible rebounding team.  The Orange grabbed only 22 boards to Ohio State’s 37 in the Regional Final.

Ohio State won’t be able to out rebound Kansas by 15 boards on Saturday.  They’re simply not big enough in the middle and Craft and Buford won’t be able to help grab boards because they’ll be battling Rock Chalk’s exceptional guards.

The Buckeyes are yet another team that’s not worth betting in the futures book.

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Kansas Jayhawks

Future Odds:  +400

Analysis:  Kansas is the team to back in the futures book to win the 2012 NCAA Championship.  Simply put, Kansas has the three requisites to win a championship:  incredible coaching by Bill Self, an awesome inside game, and phenomenal guards.

The thing about Kansas is that they often times play with two point guards.  Both Elijah Johnson and Tyshawn Taylor can run the point.  Both Johnson and Taylor produced 5 assists versus North Carolina.  Yes, North Carolina was without their starting point guard, Kendall Marshall, but what was Marshall going to do even if he had played?  Was he going to guard both Johnson and Taylor?

The problem with Johnson and Taylor is that both of them have a tendency to make a bad decision, or two, or three, during the course of a game.  Taylor’s shot selection versus the Tar Heels wasn’t great, he was 0 for 5 from three-point land and is actually close to 0 from 20 from behind the arc during March Madness, but Taylor was still 10 out of 19 from the field.  He also grabbed 6 boards against the Heels.  Taylor grabbed 10 boards against North Carolina State.  Elijah Johnson grabbed 4 boards against North Carolina.

The reason that Kansas’ guard can grab so many rebounds is because the Jayhawks boast two of the most effective big men in college hoops along their frontline, Jeff Withey and Thomas Robinson.  The 7 foot 235 lb Withey had only 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against North Carolina, but he produced 10 blocks against North Carolina State.  Robinson, the Big 12 Player of the Year, went for 16 points and 13 boards against Detroit, 11 and 13 versus Purdue, 18 and 15 versus North Carolina State and 18 and 9 versus North Carolina.

Bill Self is a master at mixing up his line up to counter the opposing coach’s moves and the defense is ranked 4th in college basketball in the field goal percentage category because it allows, on average, a 38% success rate from its opponents.  That’s awesome.

Louisville Cardinals

Future Odds:  +900

Analysis:  Coach Rick Pitino is back in the Final Four with the Louisville Cardinals.  The Cardinals are all about defense as the team only shoots 42.5% from the field.  But, before we blow off Louisville’s offense as being overmatched against teams like Kentucky, Kansas and Ohio State, we shouldn’t forget that Pitino’s game plan in almost every contest is to garner more possessions than his opponent.

Not only that, but Louisville has the athletes to turn it on offensively when it needs too.  The Cardinals outscored Florida 18 to 3 in the final few minutes to win their Elite Eight matchup against the Gators by 4 points, 72 to 68.

The Cardinals are worth a wager at +900 to win the NCAA Championship because they’re the only pure defensive team in the Final Four.  Louisville doesn’t turn the ball over often but they do force turnovers.  The Cardinals turned it over 9 times in their game against Michigan State.  The Spartans turned it over 15.  The Cardinals turned the ball over only 6 times against Florida.  The Gators turned it over 13 times.

Because Louisville is so disciplined, and because there’s a good chance that they can frustrate the runners and gunners on Kentucky’s squad and force Craft, if they face Ohio State in the finals, or Johnson and Taylor, if they face Kansas, into turnovers, the Cardinals should be taken seriously to win the 2012 Final Four.

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Tuesday NIT basketball betting: No. 5 Massachusetts vs. No. 3 Stanford

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The NIT’s semifinals tip off in New York on Tuesday night and the opening games features UMass of the Atlantic 10 against Stanford of the Pac-12, with the Cardinal as 2.5-point favorites on WagerWeb.com.

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Stanford (24-11) advance to the semis with a dominant 84-56 win over Nevada last week. Josh Owens and Chasson Randle each scored 15 points to lead the way. Josh Huestis added 12 points for the Cardinal. Aaron Bright had 10 points for Stanford, which has won 10 more games than it did a year ago. Owens, a freshman on the 2008 team that included three future NBA players, is the final link to the Cardinal’s last appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The Cardinal is searching for its second NIT championship in school history after capturing the hardware in 1991. With four wins in its last five games, Stanford is playing some of its best basketball of the year.

Massachusetts (25-11, 9-7 Atlantic 10) won all three of its Postseason NIT games on the road, joining Fresno State (1998), Detroit (2001) and Georgetown (2003) as the fourth school to accomplish the feat since host sites were introduced in 1977. The Minutemen erased a 17-point deficit in their most recent contest, rallying to defeat Drexel 72-70 after trailing 53-36 with 16:26 left to play.

Massachusetts is making its 19th postseason appearance and 11th in the Postseason NIT. The Minutemen are 13-12 all-time in NIT play, reaching the semifinals in 1991 and 2008 … Massachusetts was picked 12th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, finishing in a four-way tie for fifth place at 9-7. UMass averages 77.3 points and 39.3 rebounds per game while shooting 43.7 percent overall. Opponents are averaging 72.4 points and 38.8 rebounds per game. Be sure to watch: Chaz Williams (16.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 228 assists, 78.7 percent free throws), Raphiael Putney (10.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 50 blocks), Sean Carter (8.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 37 blocks).


Over the last seven contests, UMass has averaged 86.3 points, while shooting .444 from the floor and .426 from outside. Even the free throw shooting is up from the season mark of .675 to .713. Six players in the eight-man rotation – and all five starters – are scoring at least 9.3 ppg, with First Team All-Conference PG Williams leading the team in scoring (20.9), assists (7.3) and steals (2.9).

Stanford and Massachusetts share one common opponent (Utah). The Cardinal split its regular season series with the Utes, prevailing 68-65 at Maples Pavilion before suffering a 58-57 defeat the next month in Salt Lake City. UMass defeated Utah 89-75 in November at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, despite the Utes shooting 60.0 percent.

The series is tied at 2-2, with three of those four meetings taking place in the postseason. The Minutemen have won the last two matchups, eliminating Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in both 1996 (79-74) and 1995 (75-53).

The winner of this game faces the Minnesota-Washington winner.

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